Born On Serenity: Moments
by L.Hawk
Summary: A sequel to born on serenity: a series of one shots detailing the complicated, mundane, exciting, crazy, life-changing and just plain weird moments that come from growing up on a firefly-class freigter in the Joss Whedon 'verse. Set post BDM
1. Dresses

Joss Whedon fully owns Simon, Mal, Inara, Zoë, River, Jayne and Kaylee, as well as Serenity herself; I am only borrowing them for this story. Also, Chinese is not my first language, so although any that I write should make sense in context, I apologize if it doesn't.

Dresses (Six-ish years after BDM)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The soft swish of dresses filled the air as Tabbina, Lillian, Silverfur, and Little Jane congregated in the dinning area, joining the rest of the crew for dinner.

Zoë owned exactly one dress, a slinky one Wash had bought for her. Lillian had three. All three were fairly simple, pastel with thin lines of ruffles. The first was lavender gingham with sky blue ruffles, the second was mint green with cream-colored ruffles, and the third had small sunshine yellow polka dots on a white background with peach-colored ruffles. Zoë, who had a surprisingly good eye for such dresses, had picked all thee of them up secondhand, and all three had been mended multiple times.

Lillian rotated the three dresses, but always wore the same pair of cargo pants underneath, which let her run around without worrying about showing too much. All three dresses came to just below the knees and you could always see the cargo pants underneath the pastel ruffled skirt.

When she left Persephone, Silverfur had owned three dresses, one blue one green and one red. They had long since stopped fitting her, and she had replaced them with eight identical dresses, simple floor length shifts she'd made herself, four black and four light gray. She switched off which color she wore and always complimented them with accessories borrowed from Inara: a sash, a robe or a scarf. Despite the simplicity of her outfits and her lack of make-up she often looked almost as beautiful as her mother.

Little Jane had four everyday dresses her mother had made for her before she'd left heart of gold. They'd all been terribly looses and so still fit, even five years later. In fact they fit better now then they did before. When she' had first come aboard, her father had insisted she wear leggings and had bought her a pair, and she had worn them ever since. Her dresses were all made the same way. First her mother took one of the long swishy skirts the girls wore and stitched the waist closed. She then cut a head hole and holes for the arms and stitched over the top of the makeshift shift one of the long-sleeved, low-cut belly-less tops some girls wore. The skirt filled in the bust line and the shoulders of the top to keep it from falling off and the shirt added sleeves and variance to the dress. The sleeves of the top and the bottom of the skirt were then hemmed until they were the right length.

Her dresses were practical enough, though they were still quite looses. Even though Little Jane had cut some of her mothers hemming in the sleeves and in the skirt, the dresses were shorter now and you could see her leggings. She switched off which dress she wore everyday, except when she was working out with Jayne. Then she wore an old white t-shirt of his over her leggings that was long enough to be a dress on her.

Tabbina had five dresses, two were hand-me-downs from Lillian, two were made for her by Kaylee and one was bought for her second hand by her father. They were all various shades of pink. The two from Lillian were simple solid pink, one pale pink the other fuchsia, though Tabbina had insisted that Kaylee add feminine pockets, two fuchsia hearts on the pale pink dress and two purple flowers with pale pink centers on the fuchsia dress. The two Kaylee made for her were both made from old pink floral blouses, collars cut off, part of the back cut away and then stitched back together to better fit her tiny frame and belted with a strip of matching cloth. The last dress was the one Simon had bought for her. It had a flouncy skirt and puffed sleeves and a peter pan collar, and looked like something a core girl might wear, except for the worn look it had about it. Tabbina rotated her dresses and her behavior seemed to rotate in accordance.

As each girl took her place at the table, she blended in seamlessly, so that although they all wore markedly different dresses, none of them looked out of place around Serenity's table.


	2. Brand New Braces

Joss Whedon fully owns Simon, Mal, Inara, Zoë, River, Jayne and Kaylee, as well as Serenity herself; I am only borrowing them for this story. The title was borrowed from a poem by A.A Milne. Also, Chinese is not my first language, so although any that I write should make sense in context, I apologize if it doesn't. Also I have no idea what an auxiliary booster buffer is; I only came up with it after brainstorming with two people who have no idea about engines to cure my writer's block.

Brand New Braces (4 years after Miranda)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jelly Roll, Lillian, Mozart, Bach, Symbol, Zen, Silverfur and Little Jane were stuck on the ship with River while the Zoë, Jayne, and Mal went to meet some contact or other in some bar, Inara met with the magistrate of the moon, Kaylee took Tabbina with her parts shopping and the doctor went to pick up new medical supplies.

They all stayed in the common area. River and Zen watched Symbol as he toddled about, using furniture to help him walk, while Silverfur watched the remaining four have a wrestling match/pillow fight/free for all.

After an hour and a half of being planetside, Kaylee was first to return, Tabbina in her arms. First thing she did was bring the new auxiliary booster buffer down to the engine room. She left it there and cooed to Tabbina gently as she made her way to the common area where the others were congregated.

As soon as she got there the roughhousing ended as Mozart and Bach ran to greet their mother. River Scooped up Symbol and ran to greet her too. She let Mozart and Bach hug their mother, then handed Symbol to Kaylee. Kaylee looked at her wide-eyed, but took Symbol gently in the crook of her left arm while holding Tabbina in the crook of her right arm.

Once that was done, River skipped off to the bridge, ready in case an imminent rescue was needed. Kaylee sat down on the floor with her back to the wall, as the cushions for the chairs and such were strewn about the room. She gently eased the babies into her lap and said to the room in general, "You know, if ya don' get them cushions cleaned up, the captain'll be pissed."

Nobody wanted to see the captain get angry, so the older children went about putting the couches and chairs back together. This was accomplished only with much redoing and scuffling and rearranging, but eventually they got it close enough, and Silverfur took Symbol into her arms and she and Kaylee sat side by side on the couch with the two babies in their arms.

Simon was next to come back, carrying a box laden with bandages, gauze, cotton balls, hydrogen peroxide, adrenaline needles, and medical grade thread. He slipped through the common area and gave Kaylee a kiss as he made his way to the infirmary to put his treasures away.

Mal, Zoë, and Jayne made a lot of noise when they came in, walking up the ramp into the cargo bay. Mal hit the intercom button right away and called out "Doc, you might want to get down here."

This was the doctor's queue to grab his red med-kit and sprint down the stairs toward the cargo bay. The others followed, Little Jane rushing down to see if her da was all right, Lillian and Jelly Roll following right behind to make sure their parents were all right as well. The others followed at a slightly less breakneck pace. When the doctor got down there he found Mal and Zoë supporting a limping Jayne. He quickly gave Jayne a shot to kill the pain, and Mal and Zoë continued up the stairs to bring Jayne to the infirmary. The doctor raced ahead of them to ready the infirmary for its latest patient, while Little Jane nervously trailed them, sick with worry for her father.

The rest of them stayed in the cargo bay to orchestrate the bringing aboard of several crates, which some tough looking men were carrying in behind Mal Zoë and Jayne. They were oddly tight lipped about what had happened to Jayne's leg. They stowed the crates quickly where Kaylee indicated and left quickly.

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2 and a half hours earlier…

The meeting had gone relatively smoothly at first, the bartering over prices kept almost civil, and a deal finally agreed upon with no bloodshed and the coin handed over, half from the middlemen they were meeting, half from the buyers off world. The half was enough to refuel the ship enough to get them to the buyers world them onto Higgins's Skyplex and they had enough supplies to last them to the buyers world.

The trouble had come when they had gone to meet the men with the crates. The men had gotten greedy and wanted to kill Mal, take his coin, steal his ship and go collect the buyers half themselves. The only thing they didn't figure on was Jayne.

When they'd Stabbed him to begin with, Instead of crumpling on the ground like they expected him to, he yanked out the knife, and stabbed the guy who stabbed him, while simultaneously pulling his gun and shooting two for the others. Zoe had knocked out one man with the butt of her mare's leg and shot another, while Mal had knocked one out with a blow to the head and shot another one. Once they saw how good their opponents were, the remaining four had lain down arms and agreed to carry the crates to the ship.

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Dinner that night was quiet without Jayne. The doctor had forbidden him to leave the infirmary, and Little had only appeared long enough to load up two plates of food before heading back to her father's side.

Once dinner was over, everyone left the table fairly quickly. Silverfur was doing the dishes and Zen stayed with her. Inara slipped back to her shuttle, exhausted after 5 hours with the magistrate of the moon.

Kaylee scooped up Tabbina and Simon lead Mozart and Bach as they made their way to their bunk to put the little ones to bed as Zoë led away a protesting Lillian. Mal led Jelly Roll to their bunk, a mysterious package bouncing against his stomach in the inside pocket of his coat.

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Earlier that day…

Mal had set Zoë to regulating Jayne's ammo supply just after they'd landed, them headed off with the excuse that he had captainy things to do. He had lowered the ramp to the cargo bay and set off toward the town with nobody being the wiser. He had purchased them easily and after wrapping them in plain brown paper and tucking the package into his inside pocket, headed back toward the ship.

Zoë was standing at the head of the ramp when he got back looking a mite angrier than usual. He came up to her and asked her casually "Did you check Jayne's ammo like I asked you to?"

She frowned. "You went to the settlement already, Sir?" she asked, "I thought you were off doing captainy things."

The retorted, "I was. I was checking for an ambush at the bar we're set ta meet at. And no, they ain't setting one up. Can't blame a man for being careful. This is Patience's cousin we're dealin' with."

She raised one eyebrow. She figured there was about a fifty percent chance he was lying. "I see, Sir. We're ready to set out."

"Good." He said and turned around and headed back to town, followed by Zoë and Jayne.

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As Mal woke up the next morning, he lay in bed for a minute, knowing there was something important he had to do, but he couldn't remember for the life of him what it was. The he saw where his coat had been slung over the back of the chair and suddenly he remembered. "Duh-ning mah," he said to Jelly Roll, who was climbing the ladder out of their bunk. His son paused and looked down at him "I got something for you."

Frowning in confusion, Jelly Roll quickly ascended as mal groggily stumbled over to the chair and grabbed his coat. Emptying the inside pocket, he set the package down on the bed and said, "Here, I hope these are the right size."

Jelly Roll gasped quietly in amazement as he stared down at them. The now unwrapped package contained a pair of navy canvas suspenders, worn looking and clearly bought second hand, each with a brass adjuster and a brass clip at either end to clip them to a pair of pants. He looked up at Mal and grinned "Oh, Sheh-sheh," before pulling Mal into a hug.

They were almost too big. Once Mal had them clipped to Jelly Rolls pants and had pulled the adjusters to shorten them as far as they would go, they still fell off the boys shoulders. Jelly Roll shrugged, chocking back tears. Mal felt hugely guilty while he wracked his brain. Suddenly his eyes lit up.

"I got it." He said. Jelly Roll turned to face him with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Come here," the boy obeyed at once. "Right," he murmured more to himself than Jelly Roll, before instructing the boy, "Now turn around."

Jelly did so curiously. Mal quickly unclipped both of the suspenders in the back and gently reach forward and draped each over the opposite shoulder, then reclipped them. They were just short enough to stay on and Jelly Roll grinned widely before hugging his father briefly then scrambling up the ladder. Mal sighed tiredly and pulled up his own suspenders before following the boy out of their bunk.

Jelly Roll raced to the kitchen the captain following at a slower pace. He skidded into the kitchen and said to Kaylee, who was cooking up mush for breakfast, "Look," She turned her head toward him "Ain't they shiny?" he asked thumbs tucked through his suspenders as he showed them off.

Kaylee mustered up a smile tired as she was, "Sure are, xiao mei, where'd ya get 'em?"

Jelly Roll smiled, "Mal gave 'em ta me. Hey Lilly, look!" Lillian had just flounced into the kitchen, and stared at Jelly Roll as he bounded over to show her.

She frowned "What am I suppose to be lookin' at?"

Jelly Roll glared at her, "These," he said fingering his new suspenders.

She looked at them "Oh," she said and she pulled on the left one hard and left go leaving it to snap back into his chest, "At least your pants won't be falling down." With that she pushed past him into the Dinning area.

Jelly Roll only let his feelings be deflated for a minute though before Zoe made her way into the Dinning area followed by Mal.

His head jerked up. "Zoë, look," he said.

Mal cut in from behind her. "Let's not go bothering our warrior woman this early in the morning bao bei."

Jelly Roll rolled his eyes but said " 'Kay Mal" and falling in behind the captain. The captain made his way behind the counter to where Kaylee had finished the mush and filled two bowls of mush handing one to Jelly Roll. They then grabbed chopsticks and headed to the table. Mal sat down and the minute he was sitting jelly Roll jumped into his lap.

Mal let out a small "Ooh," in protest. They both began to eat their mush as more and more people trickled into breakfast.

Jayne was the one who noticed Jelly Roll's new suspenders. He asked across the table as he balanced little on one knee, "Where'd you get those new shoulder straps."

Jelly Roll smiled "Mal gave em' to me."

A/N- That last line was bugging me and I just had to change it. Also I'm almost done with a really long and juicy "moment", but even if I finish later tonight, I won't post it until I have at least one review.


	3. Hairbrushing

Hairbrushing ( 2 years after Miranda)

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Little Jane sat arms folded across her chest on a stool in Inara's shuttle as the companion brushed her hair. She had thought that this was completely unnecessary, but she had finally consented to come, as she had grown sick of Silverfur's constant wheedling.

Inara had put Silverfur up to it of course. She had seen the way the young girl adapted to life on the ship and bonded with her father but something didn't seem quite right. She was determined to talk to Little Jane and she knew the right way to do it. She often brushed Kaylee's hair and knew its therapeutic value.

Inara ran the brush through the crinkly brown wave, just like Jayne's might be if he grew it out. She said quietly "You might let me do this more often."

Little Jane wrinkled her nose. "Me and my da keep it pretty smooth between us"

Inara's eyebrows shot up "Your father brushes your hair?"

Little mumbled "Yeah, at least sometimes. I can brush it pretty good myself. My Ma," her voice cracked and a tear rolled down her cheek "My Ma, she used to brush my hair," she paused to let out a short exhale, then take a deep breath in, "When I was little." She started sobbing then and Inara put down the brush and pulled her into a hug while stroking her cheek gently and murmuring "It's okay bao bai."

They went on like that for several minutes before Little Jane finally calmed down enough to say, "I jus' miss her, s'all."

"Of course you do," said Inara gently.

"My Da's the greatest man in the 'verse, and I should be happy, but," her lip quivered.

Inara cut in "It's okay to miss her."

"She wasn't gonna leave Heart a Gold. I knew it, but she gave me the chance to 'scape an'" She blinked as more tears slid down her cheeks.

"You wish she'd left," Inara realized out loud.

Little nodded. "My da woulda taken her in if'n she'd asked. An' Mal wouldn'ta kicked her off. But she was too gorram proud. Loved heart a Gold too much. Mor'en she loved me."

Inara said "Bao bei! Of course she di"

"It doesn't matter," Little cut in "I loved that place too gorram much. I shouldda, I don't ruttin' know."

Inara pushed a strand of Little's hair behind her ear. "There was nothing you could have done."

"There was nothing she couldda done neither, but she stayed. She stayed but she kicked me out. I didn' wanna go but she made me, said it was for my own good, said I'd be better off."

"Do you think you are?" asked Inara gently.

"I guess, but it don' matter. I left my own ma to be dragged of to some ruttin' Alliance prison."

"It matters a great deal," said Inara firmly but gently, "Your mother is probably happy right now, even rotting away in an Alliance prison because she knows you're safe."

"I hope your right," whispered Little, laying her head back to rest on Inara's shoulder.

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Inara let her stay there for several minutes before gently pushing her forward. She produced a cloth and wiped away the little girl's tears and Inara made tea and fixed Jane's hair. It was late afternoon so Little stayed until dinnertime. They came to the table together and Little jumped into her fathers lap. "Where were you all afternoon?" he asked.

Little smiled "I was with 'Nara." She answered.

"Just getting' your hair brushed?"

"Well, she finished with my hair and asked me ta stay fer tea." She said casually. "What do you think of my hair?"

Jayne frowned. "Maybe a little smoother. There's only so smooth hair can get."

Little smiled and nuzzled his shoulder, drinking in his wonderful sent.

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This wasn't the new one I promised if I got reviews. I haven't finished that one yet. Sorry It's taking so long but school just started and since the muse likes to stike late at night, when I'm asleep as of school starting…well, I'm working on it but it's hard to find time to write with homework and other things. I am getting better though as you can see so please review.


	4. Finding His Voice

Joss Whedon fully owns Simon, Mal, Inara, Zoë, River, Jayne and Kaylee, as well as Serenity herself; I am only borrowing them for this story. Also, Chinese is not my first language, so although any that I write should make sense in context, I apologize if it doesn't.

Finding his voice (Takes place pre-Epilogue [Six-ish years after Miranda])

At first Symbol never talked. Most children didn't when they were born, but when he turned 3, Mal started to become concerned. Mostly because he saw how Symbol acted at mealtimes.

There'd be a look that passed between him and Zen, and probably some mental communication of some sort and then Zen would ask Mal or someone "Can you pass the tomatoes?" or something like that and when it was passed to him he passed it strait to Symbol.

This annoyed Mal to no end, and worried him as well. One night, he sat down next to River on the bridge, where she had the night shift.

"Symbol don't talk, do he?" he asked her.

She raised her eyebrows. "He can communicate with me."

Mal frowned, "But with thought talk and not real words."

River looked at him and said, "The primary goal of speech is to communicate. Does he not do just as well without it?"

Mal sighed exasperatedly, "For you maybe, but there's a whole lota non-readers on this ship."

River pouted and stuck out her tongue.

He grabbed her shoulders, "Ta me de, girl! I'm doing this more for him than anyone else."

She looked at him, "and the proposed course of action?"

Mal frowned, "First let the doc look at him, see if'n he's mute of somtin'."

River nodded, although she didn't like the back-up plan forming in his head.

The next day the doctor ran a diagnostic on Symbols vocal chords. He determined

that there was nothing physically wrong with the boy's voice. Mal nodded.

Three days later they arrived on Borous. Mal's plan required him to purge the ship of readers. He did this by insisting that Kaylee take Mozart and Bach with her when she went to pick up several new parts. He also insisted that Zen and Silverfur take Tabbina when they went to pick up food. Simon had protested this at first, but it was River who convinced him that she was safe. She didn't like the plan but had reluctantly agreed that it was for Symbols own good and done what she could to help. That meant leaving the ship, so the captain left Zoë in charge of the ship while he, River and Jayne met with some contacts.

He had told Zen and Silverfur to shut Symbol out of their minds. River needed no telling. Before Kaylee had left he had bent down to talk to Mozart and Bach, who were standing on the ramp waiting for her. He said, "I've got a little favor to ask of you two,"

Mozart guessed, "Keep out a Contact with Symbol?"

Mal nodded, amazed as ever at their abilities, "That's the notion."

They both frowned. Bach said, "That'll be difficult."

Captain nodded, "All I'm askin' is you try, dong ma?'

They nodded in unison. The captain relied on the fact that Tabbina was still so young and therefore her telepathic range was limited to keep her from reading Symbol.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The second part of Mal's plan B involved locking Symbol in a room with Lillian and Jelly Roll. The first thing he needed to do was get Zoë's approval. She was on the bridge when he went to talk to her. He began by coughing to get her attention. She turned and looked at him. "I'm locking Lillian in a room."

Zoë raised one eyebrow, "You're doing what, Sir?"

Mal swallowed, "Just temporary like."

Zoë frowned "Do I even want to know why?"

Mal said simply, "To help Symbol talk."

Zoë raised her other eyebrow, " And locking my daughter up is going to accomplish this, how? Sir."

Looked slightly annoyed. "Not just her, I'm gonna lock her and Symbol and Jelly Roll in the room together."

She frowned every so slightly, "That sounds to me like trouble."

Mal nodded, "That's the notion."

Zoë just looked at him, " I still don't get it Sir."

Mal sighed in exasperation, " Locked in a room with the two of them. Symbol'll find some powerful need to talk to them, and since neither of them's a reader, he'll be pushed into using words."

Zoë pursed her lips disapprovingly and Mal went on, "Look, I know you ain't too keen on havin' you daughter locked away, 'cause I ain't too keen on havin' my son locked away neither, but Symbol's on my ship and I gotta do right by him."

Zoë lowered one eyebrow, "Don't things usually go wrong with your plans, Sir?"

Mal's lips twitched "Only the ones that involve guns and such."

Zoë bit her lip, "So you really think this plan will work?"

Mal nodded, "I do believe it might."

Zoe closed her eyes and leaned back in the pilot's chair. She took a deep breath and asked, "What's my part in all of this?"

He took her hand and pressed a brass key into it. She looked up at him surprised.

"You're the only one on board with a key. Now they might scream and holler and beg, but don't let 'em out less you have good reason to."

Zoë frowned, "And what would that be Sir?"

Mal shrugged, "You know, If'n one of 'em gets sick, or the place catches on fire, basically, if you think it's necessary."

Zoë's lips twitched upward, "And what if Symbol starts knocking on the door, begging to be let out?"

Mal cocked his head, "I'll leave that up to you. Little Jane's keepin' an eye on 'em."

With that he left the bridge and walked down to Rivers quarters. She was holding Symbol and he was sitting contentedly in her arms, as she was blocking the plan from him. The captain came in and she wordlessly handed Symbol to him. He took the child in his arms and he felt a little guilty, though he knew it was for Symbols own good. Symbol sensed this and it made him uneasy, but his mother soothed him with her mind and he trusted the captain, so he didn't try to struggle. The captain carried him down to one of the passenger dorms, where he had laid the bait.

Lillian and Jelly Roll had seen the half played game of checkers and decided they wanted to finish it. At first Lillian wasn't sure, but Jelly Roll had convinced her and they began. What they didn't know is that the game had been set deliberately as a trap by the captain, who had convinced Kaylee to abandon their game.

Mal walked into the passenger dorm, holding Symbol, and walked up to where Lillian and Jelly Roll were intently moving their pieces on the checkerboard. When they saw him, they both looked quite guilty, but he raised one eyebrow, À La Zoë, and didn't give them a chance to say anything before asking "Would you two mind keeping an eye on Symbol here, while River comes on the job with me and Jayne?"

The two were to guilt ridden to say no. It was Jelly Roll who spoke for both of them when he said "Sure thing, Mal." He never called his father Dad, or Pa, or anything like that, Just Mal.

Mal carefully set Symbol down in between the two along one side of the board and walked out of the room with a "See ya later", walked out of the room and shut the door. He locked it quickly and slipped the key into his pocket. He then set off to find Little Jane.

He found her sitting on one of the spare beds in the infirmary, watching the doctor. He approached her slowly and said "Little?" She spun around to face him but didn't say anything, so he went on, "I ask you a favor."

"Kay," she said cautiously, waiting for him to go on.

He sighed. "I need you to keep an eye on Lillian, Jelly Roll, and Symbol."

She relaxed a little and smiled. She watched the younger kids all the time. Seeing this he frowned. "They're locked in the passenger dorm."

"Oh" she replied, she paused for a moment "Just 'cause, or…"

"No," he said quickly, "They gotta be there, just," he sighed, "Zoë has a key, so just keep an eye on 'em."

"Right," she nodded, "I'll just go check on them now." And she hopped off the bed and headed for the door.

"Little," he called after her, and she turned, "Sheh-sheh" she smiled and hurried off in the direction of the passenger dorms.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, back in the passenger dorm, Symbol was really and truly scared. Not so much because he was locked in the room, but because he'd lost contact with every other reader on the ship, including his mother. He could vaguely sense Tabbina, but she was too far off the ship and to young so he couldn't reach her. Mozart and Bach he could also sense, but just barely; He could tell they were deliberately trying to block him out. He couldn't sense River, Zen or Silverfur at all and that made him uneasy, but he rationalized that they were blocking him out as well. This didn't stop the uneasiness in his gut that told him something bad might happen to them.

When Jelly Roll herd the key turn, he was furious and he was scared and thoughts of being starved away for all eternity crossed his mind but he forced them down. If the captain wanted him of the ship he would shove him out the airlock, plus he knew that Mal loved him as he would love a son. His emotions whirled to fast to identify all of them. It didn't make sense.

What brought him back to his Senses was Lillian saying "Jen dao mei! This is all you fault you know."

He was shocked "Wei?!"

She scowled at him, "Don't play innocent with me it was your idea to finish this gorramgame." She kicked the board, scattering all the pieces.

He was furious now, "My ruttin' idea? You think he locked us in here cause a that? What kind of go-se is that?"

"What else you think he locked us in here for you yi dwei da buen chuo roh?" she spat back at him, "Your ideas is always gettin' us in trouble."

"Okay fine, maybe that's what got us locked up," He had to admit she was right about that, "but my ideas hardly ever get us into trouble!"

"Oh yea?" she challenged him.

"Last time we got in trouble it was your idea."

They continued their argument. Symbols head was pounding. They started getting louder and louder. He wanted desperately for them to stop, but he wasn't sure what to do. He knew them, Jelly Roll and Lillian, had lived on the same ship, ate every meal of his life with them, but he'd never communicated directly with them. He'd tried, when he'd been younger, but they could never feel his mind, never hear his message.

His head began to pound with their yelling, making it harder to think about what to do. He looked at their minds. He knew they were mad at each other, but most of the anger was really redirected from Mal. He saw Lillian's annoyance and Jelly Roll's fears. He stopped focusing on them and concentrated on getting them to stop. He couldn't use his mind to ask them, and that left words as his only option.

He was slightly nervous. He understood words well enough, but they intimidated him. He knew more words them Lillian and Jelly Roll put together, but they seemed out of place in his mind. He learned to understand when people talked to him, and they always used words so effortlessly, sometimes too much so. He envied them sometimes, but at the same time the words seemed so foreign in his ears.

His head hurt with the incessant babble of words. Fighting words with words didn't seem right, but he knew if they went on arguing it would become worse and turn into a fistfight. He thought about the right word to use. He had seen people get in trouble using the wrong words and he couldn't let that happen to him. He needed a quiet word, but a word for the anger her felt. Thinking of all the word that he had picked up from peoples minds and their meanings he found the perfect word.

He began to work with his mouth testing the sounds, pulling from their minds what the word should sound like, talking quietly. When he felt he'd got the sound close enough he spoke up "Bizui." He tried to speak loud enough for them to hear him, and it worked. They both stopped their shouting and turned to stare at him. By the tone of their thoughts he knew that he'd messed up. Bizui was a word of authority, and he had none. He had to come up with another word quickly. Something to express gratitude. He bit his lip. His first word had tasted wrong on his tongue and had messed things up, but he had to express his apology; Show them he meant nothing hostile, just was consumed by anger.

"Duibuqi" the second word wasn't so bad, didn't taste as unnatural. They both stared at him intently, but he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, relived at the silence.

He sensed annoyance from Jelly Roll and concern from Lillian. She spoke to him "Are you okay?"

He looked up at her and knew he needed to answer, but the word was easy this time, no chance of misunderstanding "Duì," he said simply. He tried to smile, but his head still ached a bit.

They both looked at him and he sensed puzzlement and it confused him, but it was gradually replaced by acceptance of statement and Lillian was the first to say, "Well okay then."

Jelly Roll lay down and sighed and Symbol sensed and over whelming sense of hopelessness wash over him. He could read minds true enough, but unlike River with bits missing from her brain, the voices didn't come unless he concentrated really hard, and it was nearly impossible with non-readers, especially while his head was pounding. He could also build a wall against the emotions and instincts that always came, but it was difficult, and he didn't. He felt he should know what they were feeling.

Lillian leaned against Jelly Roll and held his hand gently. Despite their constant bickering, he was her best friend in the entire 'verse. She was just as frustrated as he was but her concern for him and for Symbol outweighed it.

Just outside the door, Little Jane sat with her back to the wall. She listened to their argument and smiled slightly when it stopped. Only on Serenity would a child's first word be shut up. She felt she should stay by them. She had been asked to keep an eye on them, and she wanted to make sure they were all right. There wasn't anything she could do really, though. She didn't have a key.

Zoë fingered the solid piece of brass thoughtfully. She considered the captains plan. She would have thought it better not to interfere, but it was a might worrying that the boy hadn't spoken. She remembered that Lillian said her first word when she was 11 months old. It would be different for a reader though, she thought, especially since his mother was a reader. She knew the captain only wanted to do right by the boy, but it was hard to swallow that it came at the cost of locking innocent children up.

She frowned. In some ways it was an honor that Mal trusted her with the key. She also partly wished she could wash her hands of the whole thing and was partly worried sick over what might happen and if her daughter would hate her if she ever found out her mother had a key and didn't come rescue her.

Kaylee came back to the ship first; she knew she needed time to install the new parts the captain had sprung for. Mozart and Bach came with her. They both found it harder to keep their minds from Symbol's now that they were in such close proximity. Symbol sensed their closeness, but he decided not to try to read them. They both told their mother they had headaches and went to bed.

Zen and Silverfur came back next. She had an irrational fear of being left behind and always wanted to come back to the ship early and Zen finally had to concede. Zen took it upon himself to shield Tabbina from Symbols mind now that they were back on the ship. This was made easier by Silverfur insisting that Tabbina stay with them while they stocked the cabinets in the kitchen.

Symbol sat up when he lost the faint trace he could sense of Tabbina. She had been getting closer to the ship, to the point where she could sense is nervousness and he could sense the worry that brought her. He realized she must be back on the ship with someone shielding their minds, which meant some other reader was on the ship as well.

Tabbina was annoyed with Zen. He was blocking her mind from Symbol while they made her help put the groceries away, and she knew it. When they were in town she hadn't been able to feel Symbol and she'd assumed it was because she was so far from the ship, and when they'd started heading back she'd begun to feel Symbol and he was upset and frustrated over something but before she could get any more details, his mind had vanished, just like that. She knew it was Zen that was hiding him.

Zen, Silverfur, and Tabbina had gotten about halfway through putting the groceries into the various cupboards and drawers in the kitchen when Simon returned to the ship. He carried a box laden with a fresh supply of bandages and various tranquilizers and other medications he had convinced Mal to spring for. After stashing them it in the infirmary, he scoured the ship for his daughter. He didn't have to go past the kitchen to find her. Once he knew she was safe he breathed a sigh of relief and felt slightly guilty for not trusting Zen and Silverfur.

Inara had left the ship to meet a client but he hadn't been particularly wealthy and he had engaged her only for an hour and a half. The approached the ship about 5 minutes after the doctor returned and spoke into her radio "Serenity this is shuttle one."

"Hey 'Nara," Zoë's voice crackled back.

"Hey," replied Inara before saying "Requesting permission to land."

"Permission granted," said Zoë matter-a-factly and sure enough the side of the ship opened up to receive Inara's shuttle.

"Thank you," said Inara gently as she guided her shuttle safely into its slot.

Back in the passenger dorm, as the three children had lapsed into silence, Symbol felt Inara as her shuttle glided into Serenity. He hoped she might walk through the hallway outside the passenger dorm and them they could bang on the door and ask her to let them out. He knew she didn't know the plan. He had suspected she didn't know even before she was close enough to read. He saw enough of the inside of Mal's head to know he didn't like to involve her in thins he felt were his business especially things he felt she would disapprove of.

Jelly Roll must have been thinking the same thing because he said to Lillian "I bet everyone on this gorram ship is in on it."

"No" said Symbol quietly. The word came out quickly and felt like a slap on the tip of his tongue, painful, but like it belonged.

Lillian cocked her head in confusion. "what do you mean no?"

Symbol kicked himself mentally as his brain searched mentally for more words. "Not everybody." The first time he'd strung more than one word together I was hard. He understood the complexities of grammar and sentences better than Lillian and Jelly Roll combined, but the second word parched his tongue like dry desert wind.

Jelly Roll frowned. "Who doesn't know?" he asked

Names were easy, Symbol told himself as he cursed his own stupidity at saying anything at all and getting involved in this conversation. "Jayne," he said then paused before continuing, "Inara," he paused briefly "Kaylee, Simon…" The names got easier as he went down the list mentally, but it was harder than he expected, naming a person. It felt dangerous on his tongue, even though he rationally knew that people used names all the time any no harm befell them.

"Okay, I get it. Anyone who's not telepathic."

Symbol sighed with relief at being interrupted. The next word wasn't even that bad, "Basically." He wouldn't tell Lillian that Zoë knew, even if he could find the words.

"Well Jayne's off on the job, 'Nara's trapesing around somewhere," Jelly Roll began

"Here." Symbol said. A simple word, quick and easy off the tongue with only a slight jerk.

"'Nara's here?" Lillian asked. Symbol nodded. 'Then maybe she'll come by the passenger dorm and we can bang on the door…"

Symbol closed his eyes "Too tired. Staying in her shuttle."

Lillian bit her lip "My mama wouldn't leave the bridge, so she couldn't hear us scream…"

Jelly Roll interjected "What about Little?"

Symbol sighed. "Right outside. Ordered not to let us out but stays because she cares."

Their list of possible rescuers depleted, Lillian, Jelly Roll and Symbol lapsed into silence. This suited Symbol just fine. This headache, which had subsided had come back as a vicious throb from all the words. The silence didn't last long; after about 5 minutes, Mal's voice came over the ships speakers "Take her up Zoë."

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The firefly class freighter slowly eased off the ground as the sound of bullets pinging against their cargo bay doors reverberated around the bay itself. Mal had other concerns as he made his way up the stairs, him and River with Jayne between them. Simon met them at the top and Mal passed Jayne off to him as he slipped away to the passanger dorms. He scowled and turned to River "What's up with him?"

River frowned "storms coming," she said. Simon sighed and struggled on under the weight of Jayne.

Mal made his way down the hallway with rising guilt and nerves. He took a deep breath and sliped the key into its lock. Little Jane was standing nearby "Is my Da okay?" she asked.

Mal nodded distractedly "Doc's takin' god care a him." Little Jane paled at his implied meaning and sprinted off to the infirmary to see her father. Mal turned the key and opened the door. Symbol came out first. He knew what the primary mission was so he asked Symbol "How are you?"

Symbol nodded "Annoyed." The right word for the occasion, but Mal barely had time to register his response before he was kicked in the balls. He instinctively took a step back and with the second kick was sitting, back to the wall as Jelly Roll set about beating him up.

Lillian nudged Symbol "Come on" she murmured and she tugged his shoulder gently. They slipped away to find their respective mothers as Jelly Roll as screaming "It was unfair an' you didn't give no warning and you just left us…"

After about a minute or to of beating when Mal didn't even raise his fists to block the blows Jelly Roll said, "I hate you," and stormed away. His feet carried him blindly to right outside the infirmary, where River, Symbol, Silverfur, Zen, Tabbina, Kaylee Mozart and Bach were all sitting, watching through the window as Little Jane sat next to her father as the doctor bent over stitching up his abdomen.

There was a sinking feeling in his gut as Jelly Roll raced back through the hall, back to where his own father was still lying. He came within five feet them stopped and awkwardly scuffed his feet. "I'm sorry I beat you up."

Mal snorted. "I deserved it. I'm sorry I locked you in that gorram room."

Jelly Roll eyes flashed with anger, "Don't say sorry just tell me why."

Mal bit his lip. "Symbol."

Jelly Roll frowned, "What about Symbol?"

Mal licked his lips, "Before today, have you ever heard him say a word?"

Jelly Roll closed his eyes and looked back. He didn't remember Symbol ever saying a word. "so the whole locking us in the room thing was just to get Symbol to talk?"

Mal nodded. "Just About." Jelly Roll just looked at him for a moment. Them hugged him tightly, laying his head on his shoulder.

Back outside the infirmary, Symbol was in River's arms. He was content to bask in mental contact from all of his family who had blocked him out. "You spoke well." Said river telepathically.

Symbol smiled slightly and replied in kind "I did what I had to."

River stroked his head and thought "I'm proud of you."

His smiled broadened as he replied "It's good to be able to speak."

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Here it is. Sorry it's so late and so long but I had trouble writing parts of it. I will post lots of shorter ones soon. I might start working on another firefly fanfic, but not until I have at least 6 moments, and I'll keep cranking moments out as the muse strikes.


	5. Cousins

Joss Whedon fully owns Simon, Mal, Inara, Zoë, River, Jayne and Kaylee, as well as Serenity herself; I am only borrowing them for this story.

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Cousins (Five years after Miranda)

Lillian and Jelly Roll were close as close could be. They argued a lot. But the still spent every waking minute together. Jelly Roll was upset when Jayne told him Lillian wasn't his sister. Jayne for his part felt terrible, especially after both the captain and Kaylee chewed him out. Jelly Role was in the cargo bay, crying his eyes out. Jayne sent Little to go talk to him. Little sat down quietly next to the sobbing Jelly Roll.

He looked up at her, "Lillian really ain't my sister?"

She sighed. "It's true."

He looked up at her "Why not?"

She sighed "Because you don't got the same parents."

He burst into fresh tears, "Then what are we?"

Little bit her lips before replying "You're defiantly cousins."

He smiled through his tears at that, "Really?"

She nodded "I'm sure of it."

He jumped up "I'd gotta go tell Lillian."

She smiled as she watched him run off to find his best friend in the 'verse.

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Sorry it's so short and Sorry I haven't updated in a while.


	6. Table setting

Firefly belongs to Joss. I'm just borrowing the 'verse for the story.

Little Jane had been assigned to set the table. Kaylee was been assigned to make dinner. Tabina was watching Little, and after a while said, "Your settin' it all wrong."

Little looked over her handiwork so far and answered back with a defiant, "No I ain't."

Tabina rolled her eyes and said, "You're puttin' the chopsticks on the lefta the plates."

Little shrugged and continued, saying, "Uh-hu, forks an' chopsticks on the left, knives an' spoons on the right."

Tabina shook her head, "Nuh-uh, chopsticks go ta the right."

Little looked at her like she was crazy and said, "That'd ruin the zen of it."

Lillian walked in on them arguing and said, "What the gorram hell does it matter?"

They both turned and glared at her, but she just shrugged and said, "Glare all you want, 'cause you know the main thing is makin' sure they all match up."

They both knew she was right of course. They were out in the middle of the black. What mattered was function, having the table set so that everyone got the utensils they needed to eat. Still, Little always set the table with the chopsticks on the right, because that's the way Petaline always said Nandi said it should be set back on dead wood, and Tabina, when it was her turn to set the table, always set the table with the chopsticks on the left, because her father said that was how it was done back when he lived on the core world of Osiris. Traditions were important, even in the black.


End file.
